Cutting apparatus.



D. N. PRIME. CUTTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1907.

1 @75,4a Patented 0st. 7, 11913.

D I I F 0 O I. "H'

G r: A is C onrrniu sTnTits PATENT canton.

DANIEL N. PRIME, 0F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MA-CHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

CUTTING APPARATUS. I

Patentedtbct. a, rats.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DANIEL N. PRIME, acitizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essexand Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements inCutting Apparatus, of which the following description, in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like referencecharacters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to apparatus for cutting sheet material andparticularly to mechanism for use in dieing out articles such as piecesof shoe stock from leather or other material employed in the manufactureof boots and shoes.

Apparatus of the general type towhich this invention relates isdiscussed at length in Letters Patent of the United States No. 921,503,granted on application of Arthur Bates, May 11, 1909, to which referencemay be had.

Hitherto it has been the practice in machines of this character toemploy a die having a sharp cutting edge coacting with a die block ofcomparatively soft material, such as wood. Such dies especially ifcomparatively heavy are liable to mar or scratch the surface of thestock when being moved about thereover. Moreover the necessityforemploying 2f die block of comparatively soft material in order to avoiddulling the cutting edges of the dies has some disadvantagespamong whichare the frequent resurfacing required to keep the block smooth and theliability of the edges of the material being carried into t-heblockduring the die cutting operation, especially when operating upon certainclasses of material.

These objections it is the object of the present invention to obviateand to that end the invention contemplates the employment of a cuttingdie having a blunt or dull cutting edge.

As above suggested it is desirable to avoid the necessity for employinga die block of comparatively soft material, and inasmuch as a block ofthis character is not needed I with a die having a blunt or dull cuttingedge it is preferable that the dies be used in connection with a dieblock of hard metal. Moreover it has been found that this combinationgives the desired results so far as cleanness of cut is concerned.

As shown, the die is reversible and is adapted to be forced through thework in the dieing out operation by means of a presser block which ispreferably also of hard metal, and an important feature of the inventionconsists in the combination with a hard metal die block or cutting bedand a reversible cutting tool ordie, of a presser block or die engagingmember having a hard metal acting face for engaging one edge of the dieto force the other edge of the die into the stock upon the die block.Making the die reversible renders it possible to utilize the same diefor cutting out corresponding parts for both right and left shoes, thusgreatly reducing the expense of a set of dies for the machine, and theblunt or dull cutting edge will not be injured by contact with thepresser block or die bed in the operation of the machine.

- Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferredembodiment of my invention and in which-- Figure 1 is an elevation,partly broken away, showing said invention as applied to a press fordieing out stock; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the die; and Fig. 3 isa cross section of the die taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. v

A, represents the die bed of any ordinary form of clicking press, andcomprises a broad surface against which the die acts. This bed is formedintegral with or secured in any preferred Way to a hollow post B throughwhich passes rod C which supports and actuates the presser block D andwhich is actuated by any preferred mechanism in a vertical direction, asby means of'a fluid operated motor E. Presser member D has a fiatpressing surface and projects radially from rod C, being formed integralwith said rod or secured thereto in any convenient or well known manner.As shown, the rear end of the presser member is split and clamped aroundrod C, being held in position thereon by clamping screws F. The pressermember and die bed preferably are each' provided with a facing G of ametal which is hard as opposed to soft metals, such as lead, which wouldtend to become roughened under the action of the dies. For instance, acasing of hardened steel may be applied to a presser member and cuttingbed of cast iron, or other hard metals may be substituted for thehardened steel or the presser member and die block may be formedentirely of such hard metal.

The die H is of any convenient form corresponding to the shape it isdesired to cut out. In dieing out pieces which are to be used in themanufacture of boots and shoes, and in which it is desired'to providecorresponding pieces in ri hts and lefts, said pieces being the samesize and of the same shape, except for this division in rights andlefts, great economy in the number of dies required. for fitting out amachine is effected by making the dies reversible so that the same diewhich i in one position is adapted to cut out a piece for a right shoemay, by being turned over, be adapted for use in dieing out thecorresponding piece for a left shoe. For this reason I prefer to makethe die reversible and to provide 1t with two similar cutting edges, oneabove and one below. v Such a die is shown in perspective in Fig. 2 andin section in Fig. 3 and consists of a band like member thickened at itsmiddle a for the sake of strength and terminating above and below incutting edges 7) which are dull or blunt and which oo-act with thehardened surfaces of the presser member D and the die bed A.

In operation the stock to be died out is supported upon the die block orcutting bed A, and the die H is placed in proper position on said workfor dieing out as desired. Presser member D, which may be moved radiallywith rod 0 upon the axis of said rod C as fully explained in the patentabove mentioned, is swung around into position over the die and isdepressed through actuating means E, bringing hardened surface G intocontact with the upper edge of die H, and forcing the lower edge of saiddie through the stock until said lower edge is in contact with thehardened surface of die bed A. This cuts out a piece of the exact shapeof the die and the presser member D is then elevated in order that thedied out piece may be removed and the die turned over if desired andplaced inposition on the stock to die out another'piece.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a machine of the classdescribed,

the combination of a double edge cutting force the other through stocksupported on said block.

3. A' reversible cutting die having blunt cutting-edges in combinationwith a die block and a die engaging member of approximately the samehardness as said die.

4. The combination with a die block of hard metal and a reversiblecutting die, of a presser block of hard metal arranged to engage onecutting edge of the die to force the other edge through stock upon thedie block.

5. The combination with a die block of hard 'metal and a reversible diehaving blunt cutting edges upon its opposite sides, of a die engagingmember of hard metal arranged to engage the cutting edge on one side ofthe die for forcing the cutting edge on the other side of the diethrough stock on the die block.

6. The combination with a die block, of a reversible loose cutting diehaving blunt cutting edges, and a presser block constructed and arrangedto act upon one of said edges to force the otherof said edges throughthe work;

7. The combination with a die block, of a reversible loose die havingblunt edges, and

a presser block constructed and arranged to act upon one of said edgesto force the other of said edges through the work, said die block beingof approximately the same hardness as saiddie.

8. The combination with a die block, of a reversible loose die havingblunt cutting edges, and a presser block constructed and arranged to actupon one of said edges to force the other of said edges through thework, said presser block being of approximatelythe same hardness as saiddie.

9. The combination with a die block, of a reversible die having bluntcutting edges, and a die engaging member constructed and arranged to actupon one of said edges to force the other of said edges through thework, said die block and presser block being both of approximately thesame hardness as said die.

10. The combination with a die block of hardened metal and a reversibledie having blunt cutting edges which lie in parallel planes, of'a dieengaging member of hard metal having a plane working face, said dieengaging member being arranged to be name to this specification in thepresence Ifnoved toward the die to cause its Working of two subscribingWitnesses.

ace to engage the cutting edge on one side of the die for forcing thecutting edge on DANIEL PRIME 5 the other side of the die through stocksup- Witnesses: ported 0n the die block. CHARLES E. GRUsH,

In testimony whereof I have signed my ARTHUR L. RUSSELL. i

